Management Organizational Behaviour

Introduction

Classic theories of work motivation tend to focus on individual workers and on the way in which their needs, goals, and rewards affect work behavior (Amabile, 76-87). In contemporary work settings, however, more often than not, individuals have to work together with others in (virtual) teams and collaborative work groups. The contemporary world of work is as much (if not more) about “we” as it is about “I.” For this reason, management in the 21st century requires an understanding of the motivation and behavior of both individuals and groups at work.

This study presents a theoretical framework that helps us understand how individual workers relate to each other and to the organizations they work in, and how this impacts their work motivation. Particular attention is paid to individual and group motivation in relation to leadership and group performance. How does leadership inspire us to do more than we otherwise might? And what leads individuals to exert themselves on behalf of a group rather than to loaf? As we will see, answers to these questions hinge on the processes whereby groups become part of our sense of self—our social identity—so that “doing it for self” becomes a question of “doing it for us.”

Motivation Theories

Theories of work motivation aim to understand (a) the conditions that encourage people to invest energy in their work (energize), (b) the activities that they focus their efforts on (direction), and (c) what makes them sustain these efforts over time (persistence). (Ashforth and Mael, 20-39) For instance, various models point to ways in which workers can be energized by appealing to particular needs that they are expected to have. Other models provide insight into the direction work-related efforts are likely to take by examining the particular behavioral choices that people make. Finally, theories derived from principles of psychological learning help us understand why certain behaviors are more likely to be sustained than others are.

Although the validity of these motivational processes and their relevance to work-related behavior has been demonstrated in a large body of empirical research, this work is typically used to understand processes underlying the behavior of individual workers as separate agents. As a result, 20th-century insights into work motivation tend to emphasize people's individual needs, their own independent goals and expectations, and the personal outcomes they find rewarding. Yet at the same time, developments in the workplace have created a range of situations in which the function of individual needs, goals, expectations, or rewards is less clear. Not least, this is because individual workers have to function in concert and cannot always be seen as representing independent entities. As a result, workers are not necessarily driven by personal considerations alone. Instead, individual motivation is projected upon, informed by, and adapted to the needs, goals, expectations, or rewards of the team or organization in which people work.

In short, the world of work is not just a world of individuals; it is also a world of groups. Accordingly, we need to understand social, group-specific dynamics in order to ...